I-Kennedy Space Center, eFlorida (eTN) – Ngo-7:43 pm (ET), i-STS-119 (indiza ye-Space Transportation System 119) i-Discovery iqalile, iphethwe osomkhathi abayisikhombisa emkhankasweni wokufaka amaphiko amasha elanga, kanye nokuwa. ukhiphe umshini omusha wokucubungula umchamo wesistimu yesiteshi sokugaywa kabusha kwamanzi, kanye nomhlali omusha wesiteshi, usomkhathi waseJapan u-Koichi Wakata. Nakuba ukwethulwa kweDiscovery ngeSonto ebusuku kulandele ukubambezeleka okuhlanu okudale ukuthi umkhankaso ufushaniswe ngosuku kanye nokunqanyulwa kohambo lwasemkhathini ngenxa yokukhathazeka okuhlanganisa amavalvu e-hydrogen kanye nokuvuza kwe-hydrogen okubuyisele emuva indiza isikhathi esingaphezu kwenyanga, ukwethulwa kuqhubekile nezinkulungwane. yababukeli abavela kuwo wonke umhlaba bejabula.
Uma usuka endaweni ephakeme kakhulu, umgwaqo we-NASA, okuyindawo yomphakathi eseduze kakhulu yokubuka abantu cishe ngamamayela ayisithupha ukusuka kuma-shuttle pads abekwe ngqo osebeni lomfula uBanana, ukubukwa kwamathikithi kuvunyelwe. Kulo mdweshu, amakhulu abantu abavela emndenini we-VIP NASA kanye nezivakashi kanye nezivakashi ezivamile zagcwala futhi zalinda amahora angaphezu kwamane kwaze kwaba yilapho ukubala wehla nokusuka.
Emkhunjini i-Discovery ngoMsombuluko ntambama, osomkhathi abayisikhombisa benze ukuhlola okujulile kwamaphiko omkhumbi wabo kanye nekhala nge-boom enesihloko se-laser. Lokhu bekuyinqubo nje ejwayelekile ngosuku olungemva kokwethulwa ukuze kubhekwe noma yimuphi umonakalo okungenzeka wenzeke ngesikhathi kukhushulwa.
Enye indaba, nokho, ibuyele emhlabeni - emhlabathini. Abantu abavakashela e-Cape Canaveral, bengenandaba nomzuzwana owodwa wezinkinga zokuwohloka komnotho ezikhathaza iMelika kanye nenkinga ye-credit crunch-real estate crisis eFlorida - enikeze i-engeli enhle.
Yize ithrafikhi yande phezu komugqa, i-SR 328 kanye ne-Interstate 95, noma i-SR 3 kusukela e-Merritt Island noma e-Cocoa Beach, abantu ababekhathele ukushayela kanye/noma nokundiza bayobona i-Discovery. Uhlelo, obeluhlehliswe izikhathi eziningi, ekugcineni luqhubekile. Kwase kuyisikhathi somgubho phakathi nokuwohloka komnotho okufakazele ukuthi akukwazanga ukuvimba abantu ukuthi baye eCape Canaveral.
Behambisana namaqembu avela eJapane, abantu basePuerto Rican abangaba ngu-200 bandizela eFlorida bedumisa usonkanyezi wabo uJoseph Acaba.
Inhlanhla yami — ukuhlangana nomndeni ka-Acaba imizuzu engu-9 ngaphambi kohambo. UBlanca Lopez, u-anti ka-Acaba owandiza esuka e-Riverside, CA, wahlala eduze kwami. Ngokusho kwakhe, uJoe uqokwe ohlwini lothisha abasemkhathini. “UJoe, okhulele e-Anaheim, unguthisha wesayensi oneziqu ze-master in geology. Udlule ohlelweni olukhetha kakhulu futhi sonke silapha sisekela usomkhathi wokuqala wasePuerto Rican ukuthi aye emkhathini.” U-Lopez uthe ubezohambela kude ukuyokhuphula umoya womshana wakhe osevele uphakeme, egameni lePuerto Rico kanye neSigele saseMelika esisanda kunika i-Acaba udumo oluphezulu.
Umzala kaJoe, uMarco Acaba wasePuerto Rico, uthe iqembu labangane abaseduze namalungu omndeni andiza izikhathi eziningi, ngaphambi kwalolu suku lokugcina lokwethulwa. Uthe njengoba inhloso yokuqala yachithwa ngoFebhuwari 12, kwalandelwa uMashi 11 kanye nokwethulwa kokugcina kwangeSonto ngoMashi 15, wayelokhu ebuyela eFlorida esuka ePuerto Rico. “Izindiza eziqondile ezisuka edolobheni lakithi cishe ziyi-avareji engu-$119 indiza ngayinye nokubuya, izikhathi ezi-4 (ayikhokhele lonke uhambo). Anginankinga nokuyenzela uJoe,” engeza, “ngingathanda ukubona uhlelo lwasemkhathini luqhubeka yize umnotho wethu untekenteke. Kuyisayensi futhi sidinga ukuqonda indawo nezilwandle, umhlaba osizungezile/ongaphandle kwethu, kanye nokukhuthazwa kwesintu. Ibalulekile,” kusho u-Acaba. Ubuye wathi ngenkathi umzala wakhe, uJoe, esemkhankasweni wokugcina wokuhamba njengoba i-NASA ichitha umsebenzi, usazosebenzela i-NASA ebambe umsebenzi wakhe wobumbano noma ngabe yikuphi. Ngakho-ke ezikhathini ezinjengalezi, imboni yasemkhathini idinga abasebenzi bayo ukuze iqhubeke nokuthutha umnotho obalulekile ezigidini eziqashwe yiyo okuhlanganisa i-NASA, inxanxathela ye-Kennedy Space Center, ezokuvakasha namanye amabhizinisi ahlobene.
Omunye umzala ka-Acaba ungene endizeni evela e-CA. U-Edward Velasquez wase-Los Angeles uthe kungenzeka ukuthi usebenzise imali ecela ku-$400 kanti nezimali ezihlehliswe kabusha ezingama- $300 zinezindleko eziphelele ezingaphezu kuka-$1000 okuhlanganisa nezindiza, ukuqashwa kwezimoto kabili kulandelana. “Yebo, konke egameni lesiqhingi sasePuerto Rico, izwe kanye nomzala wami,” esho enezela ngokuthi ufisa nokuthi lolu hlelo lwasemkhathini luqhubeke luphila ngaphansi kwesimo somnotho. “Kuningi okuphumile ohlelweni lweNASA. Uhambo lwasemkhathini akufanele luphele; kubalulekile ukuthi i-US iqhubeke nezinhlelo. Sikwazile ukuzuza emigwaqweni yethu ewuthelawayeka, ezobuchwepheshe kanye nezokuvakasha ngemishini yethu yasemkhathini. Futhi uma ngabe i-Space Centre izovalwa, kuzoba nabantu abaningi abazobe bengasebenzi, mhlawumbe abangaba ngu-30,000. Kuzoba buhlungu ukukubona kuhamba,” kusho uVelasquez mayelana nethemba lakhe lokunye ukugxuma okukhulu kwesintu ngokuphazamisa ukwehla komnotho nokugcina uhambo lwasemkhathini luphila.
"Lokhu kungaphezu kwento yomndeni lapho sibona khona nokukhuphuka kweShuttle," kusho omunye umzala u-Armand Acaba wasePuerto Rico. U-Acaba uthe umzala wakhe nabanye ozakwabo bazosebenza ingalo. Futhi ngempela, osomkhathi baqale ngokushesha. I-NASA ibilokhu ibheka eduze ucezu oludala lwemfucumfucu yasemkhathini ngoMsombuluko ntambama. Imfucumfucu yesathelayithi yaseSoviet yasabisa ngokusondela kakhulu (cishe ingxenye yemayela) esiteshini sasemkhathini samazwe ngamazwe njengoba i-shuttle igijima ibheke endaweni engaphandle ezungezayo.
Imboni yasemkhathini ezinze eFlorida kungenzeka ibone umkhumbi wokugcina usuka kodwa kufakazele ukuthi izinhlelo zasemkhathini eCape Canaveral zizoqhubeka nokudonsa izixuku. Isikhungo se-Kennedy Space Centre sibika ukuthi minyaka yonke, izivakashi ezingaphezu kwesigidi esingu-1.5 ezivela emhlabeni wonke ziba nohambo lwazo lwasemkhathini ngaphandle kosomkhathi abadumile be-turbo-boosted off. I-Visitor Complex engamahektha angu-70 inikeza ulwazi olujabulisayo lwesikhathi esidlule, samanje nesakusasa kusukela ku-Shuttle Launch Experience entsha, ukuhlangana kosomkhathi ukuya kumafilimu e-IMAX amakhulu kunempilo, imibukiso ebukhoma, imisebenzi eyenziwayo, izinhlelo zemfundo yentsha kanye ne-back-the- ukuvakasha kwesigcawu se-Space Center complex. Abahleli bemihlangano nemicimbi bangakwazi ngisho nokubhuka amadili ku-100,000 sq. foot uDkt. Kurt H. Debus Conference centre nge-giant 363-ft, 6.2 million Saturn V moon rocket phakathi nendawo yebhola.
